Immigration spin team: How many does it take to say 'no comment'?

Reporter for The Age

The Immigration Department employs a 66-strong team of spin doctors, dwarfing the 39 media and communications staff employed by Prime Minister Tony Abbott and the ministers on his frontbench.

In August last year, Immigration employed 72 media staff, but the 66 officers who now work in the media unit are supported by a further 33 staff, who work on media operations and events in the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service.

Fairfax Media asked the Immigration Department to comment on its media staffing levels, but was referred to Mr Morrison's media team, which did not respond.

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Details about the staffing levels were quietly tabled by the department last week in response to a series of questions posed by Labor senator Joe Ludwig during budget estimates hearings in November. The staffing figures were correct as at November 19.

The documents show Mr Morrison's office spent $29,788 on media monitoring in just over two months between September 7 and November 19.

The department spent another $11,476 on media monitoring in that period, including $9056 for transcripts of Mr Morrison's weekly Operation Sovereign Borders briefings (which he has since abandoned).